Please join us on Wednesday, December 7th at 7:00 PM on Zoom for “Housing Policy is Climate Policy”.  Continue reading

We don’t know what the results of today’s midterm elections will be (please vote if you haven’t!), and that makes us nervous for our country. But we know that no matter what happens at the federal or state level, local government in Cambridge has the power to make a profound difference in people’s lives through improvements in housing, transportation, and many other areas. And we hope that you know that by organizing and advocating for a vision of abundant, affordable, stable, and sustainable housing for all, you have the power to make Cambridge a better, more diverse, more vibrant, and more equitable city. We wanted to take a moment to spell out four key ways that you can help. And please don’t hesitate to reach out if you’d like to discuss with us your particular situation so we can find out what the best fit for you might be! Continue reading

(Sent on Friday, October 28.) This week, the Council ended all city requirements that new buildings must include parking spaces. New developments will no longer have to set aside space for driveways and car storage; homeowners may now use existing parking areas for other purposes. Builders may still include parking in their projects, but it’s now optional. All six of the ABC-supported Councilors (Azeem, Mallon, McGovern, Siddiqui, Simmons, Toner), joined by two more (Nolan, Zondervan), voted to prioritize housing over parking, making Cambridge the first city in Massachusetts to take this step. Meanwhile, an anonymous group is aiming to collect 8,396 signatures in 20 days in an effort to undo the Council’s action by referendum. The Council has also approved a substantial jump in the “linkage fee” paid by large commercial developments to help fund affordable housing construction. While the 66% increase is the largest in recent years and will raise tens of millions of dollars for affordable housing, it could have raised even more if not for a pair of loopholes that came with it. Previous fee increases have adjusted only the overall rate but this one adds a partial exemption for small projects and another that reduces the fee when parts of an existing building are demolished.   Continue reading

We are excited to share a pro-housing victory: the Cambridge City Council voted on Monday night to remove minimum parking requirements citywide! Continue reading

(Sent Tuesday, October 18th, 2022.) Last night, the Cambridge City Council finally ordained into law an increase in the city's "linkage fee" - a fee that developers of commercial buildings like labs and office buildings pay into the city's Affordable Housing Trust to partially compensate for the impact that new jobs have on our affordable housing crisis. The fee was previously approximately $20/sqft; now it is $33/sqft. Continue reading

Cambridge’s Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) could play an important role in addressing the housing crisis because they can grant Comprehensive Permits for affordable housing under Mass 40B, as well as approving variances under our own zoning code. However, the BZA has rejected some housing developments by adding their personal criteria to the legal standards for approval. For example, when an affordable housing developer tried to build 49 below-market-rate units at 2072 Massachusetts Avenue, even a super-majority of City Councilors in support could not stop the BZA from repeatedly rejecting alternative proposals that sought to meet the members’ own more stringent requirements. Continue reading

(Approved by the Board and sent on Sunday, October 16th, 2022.) Dear Cambridge City Councillors: Thank you for your work to raise the Incentive Zoning linkage fee to $33/sqft. Cambridge's shortage of affordable housing has left over 20,000 families struggling to get by. With residential developers being asked to contribute on the order of $100/sqft to affordable housing through our inclusionary zoning policy, asking commercial developers to contribute $33/sqft to partially mitigate the impact they have on our housing crisis is the least we can do. Continue reading

(Sent on October 4, 2022.) A proposal to stop mandating a parking spot for every new residence was passed to a second reading by the City Council last night on a 8-1 vote (Councilor Carlone opposed). The action, which could lead to final passage as early as October 17, occurred after two amendments passed – adding developer reporting of their parking decisions and a 3-year Community Development review. The Globe covered this zoning change, noting that many other cities have removed parking mandates, often driven by the widespread and growing housing shortage. Last week, a new California law ended parking minimums statewide for most developments near transit. “Housing solutions are also climate solutions,” CA Governor Newsom noted when he signed the bill. Continue reading

This Thursday is Cambridge’s annual September Displacement Ritual – when many people are moving in, out and sideways, and rent hikes are felt throughout the city. It’s a reminder that every year we fail to act on housing, the damage to our community gets worse. Whether you’ve managed to stay for another year or whether you’ve been pushed out to Somerville or beyond, we hope you can join us for our next social gathering, outdoors at Fresh Pond Beer Garden (next to Fresh Pond Mall) on Tuesday, September 6, 7:30pm – 10pm. We’ll be joined by friends from Abundant Housing Massachusetts as we chat about the state primary election, housing progress in Cambridge, and more. The following week, ABC will present an online Housing Crisis Town Hall with 6 City Councilors, who will discuss their efforts to make housing more available and affordable to all. Sign up on Zoom to hear the discussion on Wednesday, September 14, from 7pm to 9pm and suggest topics or questions for the Councilors in advance. Continue reading

Cambridge has a housing crisis - the rent is too high, people are getting pushed out, and we're not building enough housing (especially affordable housing) to keep up with rising demand. What is the City Council doing to address this? On Wednesday, September 14th, A Better Cambridge hosted a Zoom webinar featuring six City Councillors as they discussed the work they have been doing to make housing more available and affordable to all. Watch the recording here. Continue reading